Increased patrols at Oakland's Hegenberger Rd. has led to crime reduction, Mayor Sheng Thao says

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and a bevy of local law enforcement and community leaders said Monday that increased attention to the Hegenberger Road area has led to a reduction in crime.

At a news conference, Thao, flanked by Oakland Police Department Deputy Chief Angelica Mendoza, California Highway Patrol Golden Gate Division Chief Don Goodbrand, Oakland City Councilmember Treva Reid, Alameda County Sheriff's Office Commander Christopher Lucia and others, outlined approaches they have used in the area to reduce crime and some new ideas as well.

Officials said crime has dropped in the neighborhood surrounding the Oakland International Airport since mid-2023.

"We are seeing that crimes, whether it's burglaries, property crimes, homicides, all in this corridor, that they are trending down," Thao said.

RELATED: Oakland to intensify crime crackdown near Hegenberger corridor

Oakland leaders announced their intensifying collaboration to address crime at the Hegenberger Road corridor, which has driven key businesses away.

When comparing Oakland Police Department crime statistics from May 2023 to Sept. 2023 to statistics from Oct. 2023 to Feb. 2024, auto burglaries were down 63 percent, theft was down 49 percent and robberies were down 7 percent, according to data provided by the mayor's office.

Also, Oakland police made 41 arrests from May 1, 2023 to Feb. 29, 2024 and, during their well-publicized "surge," the California Highway Patrol recovered 360 stolen vehicles, made 168 arrests and seized 16 firearms in February.

"For the past few months, we've been working alongside officers from the Oakland Police Department, as well as our other allied agency partners to saturate high crime areas of mutual interest," Goodbrand said. "These deployments have concentrated on proactive enforcement to reduce criminal activity, to include vehicle theft, highway violence and organized retail crime."

INTERACTIVE: Take a look at the ABC7 Neighborhood Safety Tracker

Goodbrand said that future enforcement surges will likely consist of from 40 to 65 CHP officers in addition to the 72 who are currently assigned to Oakland patrols.

Several strategies, including the surges, were touted as reasons for the drop in crime, including OPD's seven-member foot patrol of the Hegenberger-98th Avenue corridors, the safety ambassador program run by the Black Cultural Zone organization along Hegenberger Road from the airport to International Boulevard, private security and Sheriff's Office presence around the airport and additional security cameras in the area.

"We are demonstrating that when you invest in our community you will see real change and the results that we've long demanded," Reid said. "And as East Oakland rises, our city and this region will rise and will rise for generations to come, and together we must and we will get it done."